1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices used to clean fish and, more particularly, to devices used to clean fish which can be removably mounted over the sides of a boat.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fishermen often find it desirable to clean their fish on board their boats. Fish cleaning devices that permanently or temporarily attach to the side of the hull to hold the fish in a suspended position outside of the boat have been known for several years.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,043 (Breckenridge) discloses a boat-mounted holder for cleaning fish that includes a rigid trough held over the outside surface of the hull by a horizontal flange that extends over the outer edge of the gunwale. Two flexible cords are attached to the flange that extends over the gunwale to temporarily hold the trough over the outside surface of the hull. Hooks are attached to the end of the cords that engage the lower inside edge of the hull.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,739 (Lewis) discloses a rigid fish-cleaning trough mounted to the outside surface of the hull using two xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d clamps that extend over the gunwale, and attach to the inside surface of the hull.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,338 (Jensen) discloses a portable fish cleaner that includes a folding V-shaped trough that temporarily holds a fish in a suspended position over the outside surface of a boat. The trough is opened at its opposite ends which allows the fish waste to be washed into the water. The trough is supported by two support members that attach to clips permanently mounted on the outside surface of the boat to hold the trough in a suspended position over the outside surface of the hull.
One drawback with some fish cleaners found in the prior art is that they use troughs made of metal that can scratch or damage the sides of the hull. Because the troughs are relatively large structures that hang over the sides of the hull, waves often impact them causing them to disengage or causing damage to the hull. Another drawback is that because the troughs are relatively deep and narrow, they may block or impede the ability to cut through the fish with a knife. A still further drawback is that the surfaces on the trough are smooth and become slippery when wet thereby enabling the fish to move inside the trough when cutting longitudinally.
What is needed is a portable fish cleaning station that can be stored in a compact configuration on the boat and easily assembled. What is also needed is a fish cleaning station that can be selectively suspended over different gunwales widths without permanently modifying or attaching hardware to the hull. What is needed is a fish cleaning station that does not use a trough to hold the fish yet allows fish waste to be easily and quickly discarded into the water.
The above-stated needs are met by the fish cleaning station disclosed herein which comprises a horizontally aligned net suspended inside a rigid, rectangular frame temporarily mounted over the side of a hull. The frame includes a plurality of connectors, such as split rings or snap hooks, that are evenly spaced along the two side members of the frame and connect to the adjacent edges of the net to hold the net in a relatively taut, suspended position inside the frame. Attached to each end frame member is a rigid tube designed to slidingly receive a support arm on an adjustable clamp assembly that selectively attaches to the inside surface of the hull.
Each adjustable clamp assembly includes a support arm and an adjustable clamping member. During use, the support arm is transversely aligned over the top surface of the gunwale so that the adjustable clamping member is disposed on the inside surface of the hull. The adjustable clamping member is then selectively adjusted to engage a recessed edge or surface located on the inside surface of the hull. Once both adjustable clamp assemblies are attached to the hull, the distal end of each support arm is inserted into the rigid tube on the frame. A stop means is provided on the distal end of each support arm to prevent the support arm from accidentally disengaging from the rigid tube. The support arm is sufficient in length to extend over different size gunwales and still hold the frame in a suspended position from the hull.
The net is stretched across the inside area of the frame. During use, the net holds the fish in a substantially horizontal position on the side of the hull with no structures that may block or impede cutting through the fish with a knife. The net also partially conforms to the general shape of a fish deposited thereon and includes openings through which the fish""s gills, fins and other structures may partially extend through to prevent the fish from moving longitudinally on the net. The net also allows water and fish waste to pass through for easy cleaning and high wave action.